Luxembourg

Review of Ramborn’s Cascade Hopped Cider. This is my first time trying any cider from this Luxembourg cidery. See my first post on their Perry for more info (I tried them at the same time).

>>This is a review of a bottle gifted to Cider Says by Ramborn. Although I will take care to treat it the same as any other review, there is always the potential for bias as I received it for free. The only consideration I knowingly made was pushing this up in my cider review cue. I love free stuff, especially cider! Want your cider or cider-related product reviewed here? Contact me.<<

Availability: Mostly in Europe, although they are just starting to come to the U.S., as they launched in Milwaukee Wisconsin in August 2017.

Cider Description: We have taken some of our Luxembourgish cider and infused it with American-grown whole-cone Cascade hops. Cascade hails from Oregon in the USA’s Pacific Northwest. First released in 1971, it is loved by craft brewers the world over for its signature citrus/floral aroma. We specially selected a base cider to bring out the full characteristics of Cascade, which in turn compliments the crisp acidity of our traditional cider apples.

Cidery Description: Ramborn is the first Luxembourgish cider producer. We only ferment the freshly pressed juice of apples and pears grown exclusively in traditional orchards of large, standard trees. No concentrate. No industrial plantations.

My Opinion: I liked it but didn’t love it. The rich traditional English-like cider was an interesting combination with the hops that I hadn’t had before. I think if I had this on its own it would have stood out more, but I drank it right after their amazing perry. I can say however that it was balanced, and the main thing I didn’t care for was the bitterness on the finish (although the tannins helped make up for it).

Most Similar to: Nothing I’ve had! I’ve only had hopped ciders which used dessert apples as the base (not cider applies), although I’ve heard of a few cideries in England picking up on this American trend, such as Oliver’s. As a whole, the flavoring of cider is an American thing, as we don’t have as many heirloom & cider apples, so dessert apples are often used. Some of my favorite hopped ciders have been 2 Towns Hop & Stalk (with rhubarb), Portland Cider Hop’Rageous, and Tod Creek Mala Hop, which in general had more citrus/floral/herbal flavor than bitter hop flavor.

Closing Notes: Its pretty cool than a European cidery did a hopped cider. I hope to see their ciders in the Seattle area soon, especially if they are at a four pack (instead of single bottle) price. The perry was amazing, so I’d like to try more straight ciders from cider apples or pears.

Like this:

Review of Ramborn Cider’s Perry. This is my first time trying anything from this Luxembourg cidery. By the way, for folks like me who don’t know anything about Luxembourg except that it is somewhere in Europe – it is a small country bordered by Germany, Belgium, and France. They have a climate similar to Germany, and are between the latitudes of Normandy France and Somerset England (thanks Real Cider Reviews for that info!).

A cidery rep (Adie Kaye, head of marketing) was kind enough to bring me some samples all that way. We had actually got in touch by e-mail over a year ago (a few months after they launched), and he messaged me again as he was attending Cider Summit Seattle to scope it out in preparation for getting a booth at the Chicago version next year.

>>This is a review of a bottle gifted to Cider Says by Ramborn. Although I will take care to treat it the same as any other review, there is always the potential for bias as I received it for free. The only consideration I knowingly made was pushing this up in my cider review cue. I love free stuff, especially cider! Want your cider or cider-related product reviewed here? Contact me.<<

Availability: Mostly in Europe (especially Luxembourg & England), although they are just starting to come to the U.S., as they launched in Milwaukee Wisconsin in August 2017.

Cider Description: Ramborn Perry is made with pears from very old traditional orchards, including Bongert Altenhoven in Bettenbourg. It was created as part of Ramborn’s commitment to protecting and reviving the many unique varieties of fruit that grow in the region. These traditional pear varieties – including Mostbirne and Nelchesbirne – have been carefully selected and pressed to create a perry rich in tannins, and full of subtle fruit flavour.

Cidery Description: Ramborn is the first Luxembourgish cider producer. We only ferment the freshly pressed juice of apples and pears grown exclusively in traditional orchards of large, standard trees. No concentrate. No industrial plantations.

This cidery started in 2016, are named after the local “Rambo” apple, and their farm accepts visitors (see here). I found a neat trip report from the Cider Sleuth (see here), as well as an article more about the cidery and tasting room / education center in general (see here), plus an article on the distribution of Ramborn (see here), which is through Ansay International at least to Wisconsin as of now.